By Yu Bing

语冰

The Japanese Defense Ministry recently hosted the three-day US-Japan Defense Industrial Cooperation, Acquisition and Sustainment (DICAS) Forum, the first of its kind aimed at deepening the two countries' defense cooperation. During the forum, US ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel's remarks that the US' defense industry is overwhelmed and in urgent need of Japan's help drew extensive attention. Analysts said Emanuel had revealed why the US has been continuously loosening the military restrictions on Japan. The international community should be vigilant against Japan taking advantage of the current situation to expand its military strengths and go further down the road of military adventurism.

近日，美日在日本防卫省举办为期3天的“美日防卫产业合作、采购、维护定期磋商”首次会议，谋图深化双方在防务领域的合作。期间，美国驻日大使伊曼纽尔宣称，美国的国防工业已不堪重负，迫切需要盟友日本的帮助，引发广泛关注。分析人士认为，伊曼纽尔道出了美国对日本持续军事“松绑”背后的原因和现实考量。国际社会应警惕日本浑水摸鱼、扩充军力，在军事冒险的道路上越走越远。

The DICAS is a new cooperation program agreed upon by the US President Joe Biden and the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in April this year. The latest meeting covered repairing US warships and warplanes in Japan, replenishing its ammunitions that have been in short supply because of the US' assistance to Ukraine, jointly producing the Patriot missile in Japan, strengthening the so-called "supply chain resilience", and other subjects.

“美日防卫产业合作、采购、维护定期磋商”是美国总统拜登和日本首相岸田文雄于今年4月新设的合作项目。此次会议不但涉及在日维修美国军舰和战机、补充美国因援乌产生的弹药空缺等内容，还包括合作在日生产“爱国者”导弹和加强所谓“供应链韧性”等项目。

What the US wants is very clear. It aims to relieve the pressure on its defense industry and release production capacity with Japan's help. As the US is deeply mired in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, its increasingly "hollowed" defense industry is unable to keep pace with its hegemonistic ambition – it cannot even keep up the current inventory in its arsenal or repair and revamp ships in time, let alone concentrating resources on the R&D of hypersonic missiles and other advanced weaponry and equipment. To address the defense industry's low efficiency, fragile supply chain, and lack of talent, the US released its National Defense Industry Strategy early this year, which included intensifying cooperation with allies such as Japan. In April, the two countries reached about 70 deals to enhance their defense and security cooperation, binding them more closely together.

美国的用意很明显，就是要借助日本缓解自身国防工业紧张程度，释放有限产能。当前，美国深陷巴以、俄乌两场冲突之中，日益“空心化”的国防工业不但不能满足其大国争霸的野心，甚至无法维持现有弹药库存以及舰船的维修更新，更遑论集中资源研发高超音速导弹等先进武器装备。面对军工产业低下的效率、脆弱的供应链、紧缺的从业人员，美国今年初发布《国防工业战略》，其中一项举措便是强化与包括日本在内的盟友之间的合作。今年4月，美日更是达成了旨在提升防务安全合作水平的约70项合作协议，使双方勾连与捆绑程度进一步加深。

It's worth noting that the US' "loosening" of reins in the field of defense equipment has a limit, only taking Japan as a sub-contractor to produce and maintain part of the equipment. Besides, military industry involves highly sensitive technologies, so the US' expanded cooperation with Japan also faces obstacles. For one thing, the US places rigorous control on the export of high and new technologies, which in a way restricts their military cooperation. For another, whatever Japan does – either producing missiles or repairing ships – will harm the interests of some US military enterprises and is sure to meet their objection.

值得注意的是，美国在防务装备领域的“松绑”是有限度的，目前仍是将日本当作生产和维护部分装备的“分包商”。军事工业是非常敏感的技术产业，美国扩大与日本的合作也面临一定阻碍。一方面，美国国内对高新技术出口管控措施异常严格，客观上对美日之间军事合作构成限制；另一方面，无论是在日生产导弹，还是维修舰船，都会损害部分美国军工企业的利益，势必会受到后者的反对。

Yet Japan would not let go of such a precious opportunity, but would go to great lengths to prove its value within the scope outlined by the US. Besides, its rapidly expanding defense cooperation is not limited to the US. For long-term cooperation, it is working with the UK and Italy on the joint R&D of the next-generation warplanes that will be allowed to be exported to third countries, conducting missile tests with Australia, and working with France and Germany to develop the electromagnetic railgun technology. In the short term, naval vessels of the Netherlands, India and Türkiye successively berthed at Japanese ports lately, Italy's light aircraft carrier will pay its first visit to Japan in late August, and Germany, France and Spain all plan to dispatch warplanes to Japan. Through such exchanges and cooperation, Japan is gradually expanding the global presence of its military forces.

尽管如此，日本不会放过眼前“良机”，而是在美国框定的限度内不遗余力地“有所作为”。日本当前急剧扩大的防务合作已不仅仅局限于对美。长期而言，日本正积极与英国、意大利联合研发下一代战机并允许出口第三国，与澳大利亚开展导弹试验，并与法国、德国合作研发电磁轨道炮技术。短期看，荷兰、印度和土耳其海军舰艇近日陆续靠泊日本港口，意大利轻型航母预计于8月下旬首次访问日本，德国、法国和西班牙也计划派遣战机到日本。通过“借船出海”，日本防务战略“外向型”发展特点正日益凸显。

The Asian-Pacific region is not an arena for major countries. Regional peace and stability is the precondition for individual countries to truly enjoy security. Japan's attempt to break away from its pacifist constitution and become a major military and political power by leveraging its alliance with the US is too greedy a move that will bring grave consequences and lead it to self-destruction. The US' connivance at Japan's military expansion to serve its own hegemonistic interests and the attempt to make it a bridgehead in Asia is going to backfire on itself. Right now, the constantly "elevated" US-Japan alliance has become a major security hazard in the region that calls for high vigilance in the international community.

亚太地区不是大国角斗场，各国的安全只有在地区实现和平与稳定的前提下才能实现。日本希冀通过背靠美日同盟突破“和平宪法”限制、实现“军政大国”美梦，无异于贪蛇忘尾，必将自遗其咎。至于美国，为一己霸权私利纵容日本重新武装，甚至试图将其打造成在亚洲的“桥头堡”，不啻是养虎为患。目前，不断“升级”的美日同盟已成为地区安全的重大隐患，国际社会对此应予以高度警惕。